The Occultran War
by fishbelly
Summary: The island country of Insulgen attacks the Pokemon League and burns it down. They never were a part of the League so the other countries blame each other. The resulting war puts everyone on the battle field. Ralph, the leader of Umbra Sic and bonded of Avalon, may be the only one that could lead the warring countries out of chaos and direct them at the true threat.
1. Prologue

_ The Pokemon League can't be burning! _ Thought Jack, the representative of Blackwater. _This can't be happening! _ But it was. He had already seen Beslan, the representative of Ter-Multramon, lying in a pool of his own blood. His throat had been slit.

Jack had to get out! The back door! That door had to be open! "Blastoise! We're going to the back door!" Running through the hallways he had sent out his Blastoise to put fires out that were in his way. Now he was racing time to get out of the building.

The last turn! He rounded the corner and his spirits fell. The back door had been blocked by fallen debris. In desperation he yelled "Blastoise hydro canon; clear that door!"The canons on Blastoise's back sprouted out and fired highly compressed water at the debris. The water sliced through the debris and blew it away. Jack returned Blastoise to his pokeball and sprinted through the open door.

After only a few steps, Jack was seized and thrown on the ground. Jack looked up with bleary eyes to see three men. He heard the man behind him say in a heavy Insulgic accent "What should we do with this one?" Jack knew that he was going to die, but why were the island folk of Insulgen doing at the Pokemon League? Why were they killing everyone? "you know the orders, no survivors!" said one of the three men.

No! If there were no survivors then no one would know what really happened! War among the mainland countries would surely be the result! Jack could not let that happen. He rolled to the side and pulled a long knife from his coat sleeve. He got to one knee and caught the arm descending with it's own dagger. Jack thrust his knife into the other man's chest twice in one second, and then he cut across the other man's throat as Jack stood.

When Jack turned face the other three he felt something strike his chest with a sickening "CRUNCH". He staggered back a step and looked down. Blood blossomed on his coat as he saw the arrow protruding from his chest. It would not kill him, but it cost him a second to realize that he could still fight. A second arrow sank into his chest; it would kill this time, he knew.

He fell to his knees in defeat. The three men he had sen walked to him and one bent down and whispered "Die now, knowing that as your countries tear themselves apart, Insulgen grows stronger, waiting to pounce on your weakened people." With a snarl that would have done a Mightyana proud, Jack plunged his knife into the man's thigh and threw the pokeball containing Blastoise over the cliff that lead to the East Vereroe River.

The man did not even wince as the blade dug into his flesh. In fact, the man grinned. That was the last thing Jack saw as the man pulled the knife out of his thigh and slit Jacks throat with it.

Hours later, a challenger comes to the still smoldering ruins of the Pokemon League. He fled the area in terror, and he told all that he saw that Blackwater had destroyed the Pokemon League. More trainers came, and they fled like the first. Each trainer told a different tale about what had happened. Each country blamed the other, and within days war broke out among the peoples of Occultra.

Miles away, standing on the decks of_ Wave Breaker_, the man grinned to himself and thumbed Jack's long knife which he still held in his hand.


	2. Ralph

_It's the third year of this bloody war. _Thought Ralph. _Five years since I became a trainer. Three years since the Pokemon League Incident that started the whole bloody thing._ every country fighting the other, sending good men, women, and pokemon to kill and be killed. Except Insulgen, of course, they never were a part of the Pokemon League.

Ralph stood at about six foot two without armor and at six foot four with armor, including the helmet. A wide-shouldered man he was. He was also the commander of Umbra Sic, a deadly band of assassins and scouts, but they could also be a small invasion party and a coordinated group in the case of a large scale battle. They were rarely sent on assassination missions lately due to the way they were fairing against Pestribus.

Ralph had grown up as an ordinary boy did. With only one exception: he was the third son of the king. He was taken away from his birth family at only a few months old and given to a farmer. He was to make the farmer prosperous, more so than his brothers made their foster parents so, to become the king. But he also had to survive. Every now and then there were assassination attempts on him from his brothers. They never succeeded for one reason or another, but the attempts on his brothers failed as well.

Other than that exception he lead a normal life. He went to school and played games. He was noted for his skill at planning and executing plans war games that all boys and girls were put through in Ter-Multramon. So he was also put through a military academy in Glendale, the capitol. He became a master at using duel blades at a very early age, and he did well in strategy classes.

When he left the academy he served in the army and rose in the ranks swiftly. On a campaign to get rid of rebels on the island of Silvestri he became a commander. After the campaign he quit though, and he became a pokemon trainer. His desire for the throne lost.

Now Occultra, the mainland, was at war with all three counties fighting. Ralph had been drafted back into the army, and his rank was restored after some tests and simulations. The main threat was Pestribus to the south. Blackwater was giving ground in the west, and Ter-Multramon had gained the foothills to the Confulen Mountains. Ter-Multramon still wanted to expand to the south and gain the foothills there, but Pestribus had prevented that and still denied it.

For the past three years, ever since the war broke out, Pestribus had gained a massive amount of land from Blackwater. They tried to breach the mountain wall that Ter-Multramon maintained but it still held, barely. Pestribus had taken three of the fortresses in the mountains in the first year alone! Not a single survivor in any of the forts.

Never before had a fortress of the mountain walls been taken. Now, they had a bad reputation in the south. It was always strange though. The fortress walls were never damaged or even the main gate. The only things that where damaged were what you would expect, some broken doors, shattered windows, and some burned buildings, but never on the scale of a siege, which is the only way for an enemy to get in.

The fortresses were always easy to take back of course. Thanks to the thousands of miles of tunnels underneath the Confurlen Mountains an army could get into the fortress basements without warning. After getting in it was only a matter of clearing the fortress. They never left survivors, but they did take some prsoners to interrogate and then execute. None of the prisoners knew anything because they were new transfers brought in after the fort was taken.

Today Umbra Sic meant to uncover the reason of how Pestribus could get into the fortresses so easily. There had been a survivor for the first time. He sent a message using the mirror system in the tunnels. He died sending the message so it is incomplete, but it was within the last two days. Being the closest force to fort Arbsouth Umbra Sic was commanded to take it back.

They had found the body of the man who had sent the message though, and it was a surprise he had lived long enough to even get to the mirrors or even to open the hidden door!

Umbra Sic is a small band of about fifty men and women with their own respective pokemon. Each member had an Umbrion or an Espion though. Another thing that they all had were two daggers at their belts just in case things got drastic. Ralph had pushed them hard to reach Arbsouth so quickly. They had even put their pokemon in pokeballs so that they at least would arrive rested.

Ralph had an Umbrion named Shadow Runner, a Dragonite named Maelstrom, a Salamonce named Chaos, a Lapras named Ice Eye, a Lucario named Thorn, and a Suicune named Avalon. Ralph and Avalon shared a special bond. It allowed them to communicate telepathically and they also shared feelings, emotions, and some senses. Each member had a different team, but none had a legendary.

A curve in the tunnel ahead signaled that they had finally arrived at their destination. They had finally gotten to the hidden door! Fredrick and ten others were already there. Ralph had sent them ahead to make sure the basement was clear when they arrived so they could go right in. They were still standing there, waiting.

Fredrick was a small man standing at five foot three in his armor. He was not intimidating at all, but he is an expert archer and he could use the daggers at his belt like a magician. With light brown hair and dark brown eyes he was a perfect specimen of Ter-Multramon. Fredrick had a smile that was quick to come to his lips and a hearty laugh. On missions though, he was all focus and nothing would make him laugh.

"Has Gengar looked inside yet?" asked Ralph

"He should be out any second now. There have been no noises from the other side of the wall though, and the door seems like it has not been discovered."

As if that had been a summons, Gengar walked through the wall. The Gengar looked to Fredrick and nodded. It made a few comments that only Fredrick could understand as well.

"The basement is clear." Fredrick said.

In a whisper Ralph said "Ok when we get into the fort there is to only be hand talk."

Hand talk was what the men called the movements of the hand that they used to communicate with when silence was necessary. Everyone knew some of it. Only Umbra Sic had made it into a whole language. With Umbra Sic hand talk someone could communicate what they wanted done or just have a friendly conversation.

Ralph put his hands on the stones that needed to be depressed for the door to open. On the other side of the room Ralph's second in command did the same.

"On the other side we are going to take our standard spear formations. There are to be three spears. Any questions?"

There were none of course. With a look to his second in command he made eye contact. They gazed at each other for a second, and then they depressed the stones simultaneously. The doors slid open without even a whisper.


	3. Fort Arbsouth

The doors slid open without a sound revealing the basement of Fort Arbsouth. A spacious room, filled with casks and sacks full of various supplies. Ranging from mead, ale, flour, carrots, potatoes, salted pork, salted beef, and other such things. Along the walls were shelves that housed basic repair supplies and some sacks of flower. There were alleys through the supplies wide enough for three men to walk abreast. This is the last place someone would expect an invasion from.

One spear went right, one went straight, and the other went left. At the far end of the storage room is an open space where Ralph's group meet up. John, the second in command, and Ralph meet the group in that space. John was a six foot four inch behemoth.

Weighing in at around two hundred seventy pounds of pure muscle, John sported a morning star as his weapon of choice, but he was just as efficient with a longsword. Although he had brutish appearances,with a square jaw, large hands, and short black hair, his feet were quick, and his mind is quicker. His hands were also quick, and they were before he joined the military. To John there is no such thing as a joke.

"You all know the drill!" Ralph flashes with hand talk. "Fort sweep, when you come to a door that leads to the outside lock and block it! I want the Umbrion and Espion patrolling the halls and rooms that we have already cleared. Any others that may be needed to patrol the hallways may be used. Keep your eyes open for anything unusual. Keep silent and kill unseen."

"First spear push up the stairs!" They walk up the stairs. After they disappear from sight second and third spear follow. Ralph joins spear two, and John joins spear three.

Up ahead the "Twang" of bowstrings can be heard. The second spear makes it out of the stairwell, and found seven bodies littering the ground. Each one had an arrow through their neck. One had his throat slit too, the arrow had not severed his spinal cord. At least the arrow had sliced his esophagus, so that he could not scream. Spear one had already started towards the kitchens.

The Umbrion and Espion were out of their pokeballs too. Increasing the amount of troops in the band by another fifty, they are a huge addition to the band. The Espion can protect the humans and other members of Umbra Sic from other psychics that might be lurking around. At the moment they were climbing on the furniture and looking at their claws and each other's teeth.

Ralph signaled to the spears to not let blood get on their boots. It would be bad to track blood through the fortress. Ralph sends out Shadow runner and thorn. To shadow Runner he signals "follow second spear and watch our backs." She nods and sits down waiting for them to set off. To thorn he signals "how many are in the fortress, how many are asleep, and where are they?" Immediately Thorn's eyes start to glow, indication of his search.

In the room that the band was currently in there were three doors. The one that they had come through lay directly behind them. The door to the right lead to the kitchens. There are always chefs in the kitchens. Even the chefs knew how to fight though, and they carried daggers with them. The door to the left lead to a hallway. half way down that hallway were stairs leading to the upper levels of the fortress. The hallway ended at the doors to an armory.

Thorn's eyes stopped glowing, and he contacted Ralph telepathically. _"There are around four hundred men, women, and pokemon in the fortress. _ _This includes your men and pokemon. There are two hundred seventy two in the upper levels._ _There are thirty outside patrolling the walls and the grounds._ _It's pretty much a skeleton force. _ _Many are sleeping._ _There are three cooks and a Pikachu in the kitchens. Never mind, the ones in the kitchens just died._ _In the stairwell there are six coming down two men, a woman, and three mightyana."_

Ralph relayed the information to the two spears remaining. When spear one returned from the kitchens he relayed the information to them too.

The spears waited as the six companions walked into the hallway. When they had turned their backs on the spears they opened the room's door and fired arrows at the people walking. four arrows struck each person and Mightyana. The Mightyana fell to the floor with hardly a whisper, but the people that were armored made a noise like thunder when they hit the ground.

The spears set down the hall at a sprint before the first body hit the floor. The noise was heard in the armory though, and the doors opened. The archers of the spears quickly loosed arrows and some came in return. All the enemy arrows where caught on shields. The enemies were not so lucky. Five men fell to the floor, blood starting to pool around them. One was not quite dead yet, so he was pulled farther into the room as the doors were shut and barred.

Thats only a small inconvenience. Quickly sending out Avalon, his Suicune and bonded, Ralph asked her to break down the door and hurtle it inside. Avalon was a bit bigger than most of her kind. She stood at seven foot flat and weighed in at about four hundred forty eight pounds. Few people think that legendaries have genders, but that's not true. Avalon is a female.

The only way that Ralph knew was because they were bonded. He would not believe that they had genders either, but the bond made him accept that they did. He did not know how it worked, but it was what it was. He could have refused the bond. But he knew that he would never have refused it. When he saw her he knew that without her he was hallow. Just a shell walking with no purpose.

_It's about time you got me out of that ball._ _Even though I could feel you it was lonely and cramped._ came Avalon's thoughts.

_It took a while to get here. Sorry about the wait._

While they talked Avalon directed flows of water, from a Mystic Water charm around her neck, to the tiny crevices around the door. When the water had settled in the crevices she froze it. The water expanded as it froze and widened the cracks. Avalon directed more water to the crevices focusing on the hinges this time. When she froze the water again the hinges snapped with an audible "CRACK".

The door was only held by the ice now. _Put an Ice Ward in place of the door when you throw it._ As Ralph thought it Avalon threw the door into the room and made an Ice Ward to block the opening.

_There where two men behind the door._ Came Avalon's thoughts.

_Well, that's two less we have to worry about._

Avalon set the door down at the other side of the room with the corpses underneath. Two arrows stuck the ice ward and bounced off, not even scratching the ice. Five were left and one was fatally wounded. This was going well so far, but how long would it continue to go well?

_Are we going to kill them?_ Avalon asked.

_No. Take the uninjured ones as prisoners._ knock them out and bind them.

Avalon gave a slight nod, and Ralph signaled the plan to the other spears. Sending water past the Ice Ward, Avalon rammed the four remaining men in the head with a bar of ice, and she sent a tendril of water through the wounded man's heart. When the unconscious men settled on the floor Avalon wrapped their feet and hands in ice. She dropped the Ice Ward, and spear one rushed forward with rope to tie their hands and feet. The spears always cary fine rope to take prisoners.

Thorn walked up and stopped next to Ralph. _"It's going well so far."_ Came his telepathic voice. "Twenty five down two hundred some to go." Ralph flashes in hand talk. Peering at the stairs to the main level Ralph wondered how the forces from Pestribus could get in so easily.


	4. Reclaiming Fort Arbsouth

_"No one knows that we are here" _Thorn communicated.

"Good, then we still have the element of surprise. How many are at the top of the stairs?"

_"There are only two at the top."_

_"Are they humans?"_

_"Yes"_

Telepathy was so convenient. Ralph signaled for the third spear to take the lead and to expect two at the top. They quickly ascend the stairs and dispose of the two at the top. Spears one and two followed up the stairs to the normal level.

Spear three had already gone into the next hallway too. A good thing this was planned at night. The next hallway was always busy during the day.

Through the bond Avalon said: _I can wash away any blood that is spilled on the floor._

Walking into the hallway was confirmation that it still was busy, even at night. Two bodies lay in a growing puddle of blood with slashed throats. A third gasped for air with an arrow protruding from his chest. The arrow had some yellow fletching on it. An arrow coated in _sarin _, a nasty agent that would kill the fellow by itself even if the arrow did not puncture any vital organs.

_"That is a very good idea"_

Ralph thought back.

_"I will be right up in that case then."_

Ralph signaled for the men to pick up the bodies and drag them back into the stairwell. Also, he signaled that Avalon would be up to help clean messes up. She was there in seconds, and she used the water in the Mystic Water to clean away the blood.

_Avalon would you stay here with Fredrick and clean up any messes that might be made?_

_Of course Ralph. I'm a bit hungry anyway._

She was not talking about humans. To her they tasted rather nasty. She was more inclined to eat the smaller pokemon that walked by. A Cherubi or a Combee were rare delicacies to her, but she would settle for whatever came by.

As Ralph told Fredrick that he would be staying with Avalon he said to Avalon: _Just make sure that you clean everything up._

With an affectionate little push of her snout she responded _Go we're wasting the night._

"To the right the hallway forks off to into two passage ways. Spear one will take the passage to the right, and spear two will take the one on the left. They will meet up again soon. Spear three will go to the left from here and clear everything that way. Lets move!" Ralph signaled.

Setting off to the right, toward the left passage Ralph could already hear the musical "TWANG!" of bowstrings behind him. That was quick. They had probably just come around a corner.

_Another five down_ Came Avalon's musical voice.

_That's another five we don't have to worry about._

Turning into the left passage there were two doors in it. Both directly across from one another. One lead to the courtyard in the center of the fortress, and the other lead to the mess hall. At the very end was a T shaped intersection. Spear one would come up through that when they arrived.

At this hour the mess hall should be pretty empty. The point of the spear, Jason, reached for the door handle. Before he even touched it, it opened! Another man on the inside had opened it!

As quick as lightning Jason plunged his sword into the other man's heart and kicked him back into the mess hall. He ran in with the rest of the spear behind him. The bows of the spear sang a deadly song as arrows streaked in, killing all who they touched.

Ralph dashed to the right, at a man still standing up. Quickly slashing his first blade across the man's throat he sidestepped to avoid the spray of blood that came out of the man's neck. With the second sword he parried the sword of another man who had the reflexes of a cat. The first sword came in far to the left, and the man blocked it. Then the second sword flashed into the opening and sliced open the man's middle. Ralph quickly ended the man's life to ease his suffering.

Shadow Runner had come into the mess hall as well. She had taken a Ghastly that had been trying to flee.

It had only taken seconds. Thirteen bodies, and a ghastly's dispersing gasses, littered the mess hall. Only eight upturned benches and one table was on it's side. The room was not a mess, but getting blood out of the stone floor would suck. "Leave the bodies" commanded Ralph, "They won't be bothering anyone in here."

_"A Picharisu came running down the hall from your direction. It was moving fast, but not fast enough. I think it was carrying some sort of news. It had a small scroll attached to it's back. As soon as it saw fredrick and I, it burned the scroll with it's electricity. It is very tasty. Another one that you don't have to worry about._

_Get the Umbrion and Espion up here. They should already be up here._

_They are up here. They arrived soon after you left, and before before the Picharisu came._

_Good. Get them patrolling if they are not already._

A sense of "you should know better" came into the bond. Ralph knew that they were already patrolling.

Walking back into the hallway was a relief. Ralph hated mess halls, but he did not know why himself.

The sound of a several bowstrings made his head jerk. He looked down the hall and saw a Growlith in armor fall to the ground with an arrow in it's chest. That was not the main target though. A man in brightly polished silver armor had his shield raised. The arrows that had been fired at him quivered on it. Backing into the intersection, the man raised a finely worked horn to his lips ready to give a warning call!

As the first note started to wind six arrows punched into his side. Each one had yellow fletching. The man's arm fell to his side, useless, and the horn fell back to his side. With a convulsive shiver the man collapsed and started gesticulating on the ground. At a sprint spear two reached the body right before spear one.

"Good timing." Ralph flashed to Aaron.

"Anytime." Came the response.

"Who do you think this guy was?

"He has the rank of general, well, in training at least. I don't know, and he is dead now. That's all that really matters. There was a small barracks of sleeping men and women. We cut their throats, so they won't wake up any time soon."

"Good."

To Avalon Ralph sent a message telepathically. _Tell Thorn to tell the Umbrion and Espion that they have free roam where we have already been on this floor now. You and Fredrick need to go meet up with spear three._

A few moments passed before Avalon's reply came, but when it did it was full of energy.

_It is done. Fredy and I will meet up with spear three shortly. Thorn says that they are nearing the main entrance to the fort. It should only take a minute for us to get there if we run. Well Fredy would be running, I would just be walking quicker than normal._

_They're moving fast. Are there any in the courtyard or the armory?_

_Thorn says that there are none in the courtyard and none in the armory. There are thirty more on the floor above you though. _

_Thanks. Tell Thorn too._

"Let's move spears!" Ralph signaled. "The armory is empty. Above us are only thirty soldiers. The general and his or her honor guard are up there probably. The stairs are just down the hallway. Spear three will meet us there."

Walking down the hallway the two spears killed another five people. Then Avalon's thoughts came again. _I just meet up with third spear. Alton took an arrow to the chest. It's fatal unless he gets attention soon._

Ralph's thoughts roared across the bond in white hot fury. _What! What happened! This is supposed to be an easy in and out, take the fort! This is not a battle where we're outnumbered ten to one!_

_The arrow got past the shields. The shield in front of him caught another two though. The shield wall was not formed properly._

_There will be severe repercussions for them when this mission is over. Put an Ice Lock on the main entrance if you have not already._

_That's already done. We will meet up at the stairs soon. Alton is being taken back to the basement by his Meganium and Gloom. He is being accompanied by a Chansy that is tending his wound._

While Ralph and Avalon talked the first two spears reached the stairs. About thirty seconds later spear three showed up with Fredrick and Avalon, but missing Alton. They formed a single spear to get into the room that the stairs let out into. With hand talk Ralph told Avalon to blast the doors with hydro canon, and to blow them in. Don't try and hide our presence any more he also commanded.

Ralph watched the diamond shape on Avalon's forehead began to glow. It got brighter and brighter. Finally, when the glow dimmed every other light, water began gathering in her mouth. An incredible amount of water was gathering, and it was all compressed to the size of a marble. With a loud "CRACK!" and a high pitched whine the water shot from her mouth at extremely high speed.

Avalon sliced the doors from their hinges and then sliced them in half, and blasted the pieces into the room. She was not done there either! Stepping into the room she swept the beam across the room, slicing everything and anything that got in it's way.

Finally the beam stopped, and the spears rushed into the room. They ignored the bodies sliced in half. Into the next hall they went, arrows flying to targets. More soldiers came around the corner and they were put down with arrows as well. Spear three ran to that corner and cut down more that came around.

_Running to the turn on the left Thorn contacted Ralph. There are eight left. One is an Entei. I think he is bonded. Be on the lookout. I have told Avalon too._

When the three spears rounded the corner they saw another entourage of soldiers. Six soldiers, three men and three women, stood behind another. Standing at about five foot eleven in armor was a woman in burnished silver armor. Her helmet had a plume that indicated the rank of general. She carried a shield that had a cloth over the front and a hand and a half sword at her waist.

"Your forces are decimated and you have no where to go. Will you surrender?" Ralph asked.


	5. The Challenge

The woman looked at Ralph. He could only see her eyes, and those were a beautiful sea green. She appeared to think for a moment.

"I challenge you to a duel. I will surrender if you can beat me without killing me. If you kill me my men will surrender, if I kill you then we will fight on."

"That's fair enough" said Ralph. All the members of the band knew that he was a duel blades master, and they trusted him. Some vulgar comments rose from the band as he walked forward.

When she walked forward she lifted the cloth on her shield, revealing a shuckle engraved on it. Then she drew her sword. It had a Joltion worked into the blade as well. The comments from the band died off immediately. She was a shield master _and_ a blade master! That is almost unheard of!

"If I kill you I will give your Suicune to Chase." Just then the Entei came around the opposite corner. Avalon pushed herself through the spears and positioned herself in between it and the spears. She bared her teeth and emitted a low, fierce growl.

_Be careful._ Avalon thought threw the bond. A hint of worry came through the bond as well.

The woman started the duel with a stab as quick as a snake. Backpedaling quickly Ralph slapped her sword aside with one of his blades. His second blade went for her thigh but it was blocked by the shield. Not a surprise there.

How was Ralph going to get her to quit? He would have to get creative since she was wearing that helmet. Ralph knew that this was going to have to be quick. Duel swords was all out offfensive with very little defense.

Ralph stopped backpedaling, and started to dance around the woman as she swung her sword. Two masters fighting was more of a dance than a fight. From stance to stance the combatants assaulted each other with heavy blows.

Finally, Ralph had an idea. Thrusting her sword out wide he pointed his wrist at her foot and flicked his left hand back. From his wrist a small compartment in his armor opened. A small dart shot out, and it struck the woman's foot, puncturing the armor and lodging in her foot.

The woman stumbled a little bit and one of Ralph's swords made it by! With a quick motion he sliced at her forehead, the sword cutting through her helmet easily, but he made sure not to cut to deep. The blade came away red, and a shield slammed into Ralph's chest.

The feeling that radiated from his ribs spoke for itself. At least three were broken and more had to be cracked. Bruised was the least of his problems.

He accepted the pain as he was taught to so long ago. Fighting it would only distract him from the task at hand. He just had to hold the woman off long enough for her own blood to blind her. It was hard work dancing around her with broken ribs.

The woman growled and her sword burst into flames! Quickly stepping back Ralph drew on some of Avalon's power and formed a spear suspended in air. The woman lunged at Ralph with her burning sword, but ralph used the spear he had formed to turn it away from him. She spun, slamming the shield into his right hand. Blocking the fiery sword with one of his own Ralph sent the spear at the woman, it pierced her armor but chain mail underneath caused the blade not to sink into her shoulder.

Ralph could see into the woman's helmet, and blood had ran into her eyes now. She could not see anymore. Now was his chance! The woman's sword came in. Ralph dodged it, dropped his sword, and grabbed her wrist. Ralph forced the woman to drop her own sword.

The woman came around with another shield bash, but Ralph slipped around it. He rolled into the woman and forced her to the ground. Grappling on the floor of the fortress is much easier than crossing swords with her.

A quick punch to her helmet dazed her a bit. He pinned her shield arm under his knee, and he pulled his dagger out of his belt. Putting it to her throat Ralph said "Do you yield?"

The woman struggled a little bit more before she realized that it was hopeless. "I Yield."

Taking his dagger away from her throat he quickly took her belt knife away. Standing her to her feet he stripped her armor off and bound her hands behind her back. Under the armor was a well made chain mail suit of adamantine. She also wore a padded gambison under the mail.

The other soldiers that had accompanied her laid down their weapons. One of the spears was working on getting them all bound. The Entei let out a roar, but it laid down on it's stomach.

"Where's the capsule for the Entei?" Ralph asked the woman.

"It's the first one on the belt" Replied the woman calmly.

Searching the belt he found it. Leading the woman to the spears he gave the woman to John. Then he walked next to Avalon and returned Enntei to the ball. Ralph put the ball on his belt.

A loud booming sound echoed through the Fort. If they could hear the gate being beaten that meant the Ice Lock was wearing out.

_Thorn, what's the situation at the gate?_

_The Umbrion and Espion are gathering there to take care of whatever comes in. The gate will not hold much longer. I don't think you can make it here in time._

"Avalon! Get to the gate now!" Ralph barked. Another loud boom sounded. Avalon set off at a dead run to get to the gate. Again, there was a boom, but it was different this time as if the gate had cracked or given way.

There was a sudden, larger, boom that came from below, and the sound of combat came up the stairs. The spear not tending the new prisoners set off after Avalon at a run with Ralph in the lead. The sounds of combat soon died away though.

_We have won. There are no dead among us but there are some injured. Avalon is tending them now. She arrived right at the end._

That is good news. Make sure that the injured are taken care of. We have some prisoners that will need guarding with the rest. There are no more here correct?

There are no more.

All that had come in were dead. Blackened and twisted bodies lay around the floor. Some were pokemon and some were men and women. A shame, really. They all could have been normal people with a peaceful job. Well that's what happens when you join the army most of the time.

Walking to the door Ralph could hear the men and women in his band talking amongst themselves. The cool night air was a welcome change. The stars shone brightly this far away from big cities. Ralph could make out the Lupis constellation in the sky. A good omen that is said to be, for it was normally hard to see and can only be seen at certain times.

The green was slightly trampled, but it was in good condition. To Ralph's left was a forge. A small building used to make some repairs and forge some new equipment every now and then. Next to the forge was the warehouse. It stored most of the fortresses supplies, except weapons. The warehouse was a large building, and it kept enough supplies to keep the fort running for a year without resupply. If the plantation was not destroyed.

By far the thing that took up the most space, the plantation stood to the right and down the green a ways. It had fields that stretched around the stables next to it and behind the forge and warehouse. It was extremely useful, as it can support the fort almost indefinitely in the case of a siege and the tunnels being compromised. The only real building that it had was a tool "shack" to store the tools used by the workers.

The stables to the right were small. They could only house around sixty horses. There was very little need for horses. Compared to pokemon their intelligence is almost nothing, and they are physically inferior. They have their uses though, so they are kept.

What drew Ralph's attention like a _nasulta_ dancer though, was the wagon parked in the middle of the road on the green. In the wagon was what appeared to be a circle. When Ralph walked closer to the wagon he realized that it was a circle.

The outside of the circle was hexagonal. On the face that was facing directly away from the circle were strange runes. It appeared to be made out of stone, but when Ralph touched it, it felt like stone. Standing at roughly seventeen feet the diameter of the circle was only fifteen feet across.

_This had to be an artifact from the Age of Wars. _The age of wars was a period of time thousands of years ago when every country in the world fought each other. Countries fell and rose in single days. But no one used swords and shields. It is said that weapons that could travel halfway across the world were used, and they could destroy entire cities! Men could fly in gigantic metal birds that could go faster than the fastest bird alive! Instead of riding horses men rode in metal shells that could spit fire and shoot arrows hundreds of yards!

With a snort Ralph shook himself. _And the historians say that men walked on the moon once too!_ That had to be fanciful thinking of some drunkard.

"What is the new toy that you have found?" Came Avalon's voice. Ralph was not surprised. He could tell where she was through the bond, though the farther apart they were the less accurate it was. She could speak with her mind or her voice when she chose. She had difficulty forming some words with her tongue though.

"I'm not sure. What do you think?"

"On Silvestri there is a thing like this. It looks like it at least. It is broken and is missing the top quarter of the circle if it is like this. And there are no runes on the other one."

p"You have already told me about that. What do you think about this one?"

"I don't know. Ask that woman you captured. Well done by the way. You need to get those ribs looked at soon."

Ralph winced at that. "You are starting to sound like my mother used to. I will have Jason talk to her; he is good with people although I doubt he will get anything."

"I can feel the pain too you know. It does you no good to stand there and do nothing. You should go back to the fortress and rest bit."

Before going back to the fortress Ralph sent out Chaos and Maelstrom. He gave them orders to start flying over the walls to keep guard. Shadow Runner came out and Ralph gave her the duty of inventorying the warehouse.

When Avalon and Ralph returned to the fortress John had already given orders for the gate to be checked and the walls patrolled. The mirror relay was being worked and the bodies were being disposed of. Blood was being washed away as it could, and the wounded were being treated. The prisoners were being escorted to the jail house behind the fortress.

_Alton will live._ came Thorn's voice.

_That's good._

_Avalon told me about your side. You need to have it looked at._

I am going to do that right now! What are you two my parents or something?

No, we are your friends. Also you are her bonded, and you are my master.

That was a rhetorical question. I am getting it looked at soon. I'm looking for Nerisir now.

Finding Nerisir was easy. Ralph found her tending to an unconscious Alton in the kitchens. The bodies had been moved out and the blood had been cleaned. Nerisir's Gardevoir was rubbing a salve into Alton's chest around the wound, being careful not to reopen it. Nerisir was standing near the fire, and she seemed to be concocting some sort of potion for Alton.

"Here to have me look at your chest? I saw the bash that woman gave you, and it looked pretty hard."

"That is exactly why I'm here, and to check on Alton. How is he?"

"He will survive" she sighed "but he will need quite some time to fully recover."

Finishing her concoction she took it off the fire and set it aside to cool. At about five foot eight with blond hair to her waist, when it was not in a braid running through her armor, she was a pretty woman. A very intelligent nurse, she could diagnose and make medicine for almost anything in the field. She was also one of the oldest people in the band at an age of forty nine, only two others were older than her and those by only a year or two.

"Off with your armor" She commanded.

Taking off his helmet, gauntlets, and leather cuirass was painful. When it was finally off he lifted his undershirt to expose his chest. The side that had received the thump was all black, blue, and yellow. It was swollen and plainly irritated.

Nerisir made a "tisk" sound, and proceeded to prod Ralph's side. Ralph sucked in air and gritted his teeth. It hurt worse than he thought. Nerisir made a thorough examination of his side and pronounced four broken ribs and bad bruising on some other. She wrapped his chest in a cloth with some ointments on it and gave him some gaws tea.

Putting his armor back on, except for his helmet, Ralph strode out of the kitchens in no better shape than when he had gone in. Alton looked better though. Some of his color had returned, and he in a natural sleep now.

_What are you up to Avalon?_ Ralph called out through the bond.

_I'm cleaning blood from the floors, and removing bodies. You can't work with broken ribs, not today at least, get some rest. The general's quarters are fine. Half the band has been sent to bed. John is doing well. _

I'm a commander for attacks Avalon. You know that. John is better with organizing things after a battle.

Walking through the halls to the entrance of the fort, Ralph ran into John. Making sure everything was being taken care of he gave John some additional commands and then continued on his way. When he made it to the general's quarters Ralph sighed in relief.

Ralph stripped off all his armor, and set it on an armor mannequin. He combed his hair and looked at himself in the mirror. What a night. What a failure. Alton almost dead, and himself injured. That just can't happen. He had to be better than that. Ter-Multamon can't afford to loose any soldier.

With another sigh Ralph blew out the candle and climbed into the bed. It was a nice bed with a thick blanket and a soft pillow._Good night Avalon_ He thought.

_Good night Ralph._ Came the response.

With that Ralph closed his eyes and drifted off into sleep.


	6. Devinrod

Ralph woke up before dawn as was his custom. His ribs ached rather fiercely. He dressed in his armor and walked to the kitchens to see if there was any breakfast. Alton was still there, and Nerisir still tended him.

Nerisir looked at Ralph's ribs again and applied more ointment. She said that it would heal faster with the ointment. Ralph was just concerned with if it would heal correctly!

"Did Alton wake up at all?

"Yes he did. I got some food in him and then he went right back to sleep! He is making a good recovery and should be able to walk soon. At least I won't need to use any _lilithat_ on him.

A member from Umbra Sic was cooking some breakfast. Ralph got some breakfast from him. It was a stew that had some chunks of chicken and vegetables, he ate it gratefully. After breakfast walked to the main gate of the fortress. Avalon joined him halfway to the gate. "How are things operating? Where's John?"

"All your orders have been carried out, and reinforcements are only a few hours out. John is on the walls. The first patrol is about to be switched."

"Good. Very good. Did Jason talk to the woman?"

"Yes he did. She will not say what the circle is, but she does not like it. Her name is Marrin by the way. The psychics tried to look into the prisoner's minds. They all have had extensive training in shielding, so all that they can find is a general dislike of the thing. Thorn and Gardevoir could easily out do what the others did. If they were together I am sure that they could get information."

"Well, they were chosen to use a secret thing for a reason. Were there any Pestriban scouts out?"

"No, there were none. Thorn says that the country side is clear too. Chaos took him for a fly over to make sure, and the reports were clean."

"Good. Who is leading the reinforcements?"

"Senior Commander Deminrod."

Ralph grunted. He did not like that man. He would have to relinquish command of the fort to him. While getting rid of command was not unwelcome, Ralph preferred to run things himself so he knew that everything was covered.

Ralph arrived at the wall by the time Avalon had finished her report. There was plenty of food and water. The ballista had lots of ammo in the store rooms, and the lamps had good oil. Most everything was still in good supply.

When Ralph got to the top of the wall he found John. He was peering through a looking glass down the mountain. Smoke was rising from a wooded area not to far down. "What do you think about that smoke?" said Jason "The fly overs have said that it is just a fire, and no one is near it. But do you think that that detachment of reinforcments could be hidden out there?. By all accounts they should be here by now. They're taking their time. But that is not where they should be coming from. They should be coming from the tunnels.".

"What about the force that was here? It seems too small to be the only guard for such a large and important fort. Keep a vigilant look out, and hope for the best. Prepare for the worst though. It could be a number of things, that smoke, a distraction, a small campfire, or just a coincidence like what it appears to be."

"I don't believe in coincidences. Has the fort's new gate been put in yet?"

"I don't believe in coincidences either. The gates are almost in. You pushed them to get that in. Where did you find those extra doors anyway?"

"They were in the ware house. Shadow Runner found them buried under some sacks of flower. The whole ware house is unorganized."

"The second patrol is coming out now. Go get some rest John."

With a thankful nod John turned around and walked down the stairs. Ralph looked around, and thought that this would make a nice place to live, if there was no war. The wall stretched around the whole fortress and ended at the mountain side. There was a large cliff behind the fortress, and at the top it dropped off again for about eight hundred feet. Not good planning but it worked.

The wall itself was crenelated and had a guard house at the main entrance. The wall stood at about thirty feet tall and twenty five feet thick. It was completely solid stone mined from the mountains at a quarry not far away. The gate was made of sturdy oak and was worked with iron for strength. The gate stood at around twenty three feet high and was wide enough to let two wagons pass through at the same time.

Some locking bars needed to be installed on this gate. New ones at least. The ones at Arbsouth were out of date, and getting rusty it appeared. The occasional tower on the wall looked fine. Every few dozen feet a tower would break the wall's plainness.

Ralph could see some of the watchmen on the top of the towers. The men on top of the towers were all archers. One of the band members passed by Ralph on his last round. Avalon stood next to him with her mane being blown to the side by the wind. The trees were green with spring leaves.

Everything was serene now. The scenery almost enchanting. Avalon broke the silence. "The reinforcments will be here in a few minutes. You may wish to go see them arrive."

"That is good advice. I will go to the tunnels soon."

"Deminrod will not apriciate it if you are not there in person."

"I know. If I'm late I will face the consequences. He won't do much. The worst he will do is smoke me out in front of my men and his men. I would not care very much, and I could always make the excuse of checking on the defenses. Also, I am injured and have to walk slow. It's been a while since you let me ride on your back. Will you give a ride to an injured friend?"

Avalon laughed at that. "Can you get to my back with your broken ribs? Just walking would jar your ribs and hurt like hell! Last time you tried to rid you almost fell off when I went any faster than a walk anyway."

"I agree, bad idea." responded Ralph. "Alright, let's go."

Ralph and Avalon walked down the stairs together. When they reached the bottom the second shift of patrols was heading up the stairs behind them, and more were walking up stairs around the wall. The ground in front of the stairs was paved to the main road leading to the front of the fortress.

Ralph walked slowly to the road, and he and Avalon made their way back to the fortress in a very casual manner. On the way back to the fort they passed one of the few homes in the fortress walls. It was small and probably had only three rooms at the maximum, but it had a beautiful garden full of roses, lilies, and other flowers. A honey suckle vine made it's way up one side of the house. They were in bloom at this time of the year, and the scent was wonderful.

Avalon's sense of smell had enhanced Ralph's sense of smell at the bonding. Also, Avalon could see in color now. Ralph's vision had crossed to her as her smelling had to him. It was still strange at times when Ralph could smell things that no one else could, and it was awkward when he had to tell the name of a particular color to Avalon in front of people not from Umbra Sic, but they normally did that telepathically.

Avalon was young for a Suicune. Only about two hundred thirty years old. To her people she was barely old enough to be out in the world, and time she found a mate. She had given up her people to come with Ralph. She said they were boring anyway and did not like humans. She liked humans though. She also says that, really, they are not "legendary" they just stick to themselves and are withdrawn from humans.

_Don't think yourself into a blue funk._ Came Avalon's thoughts.

_I know. It's just that you are young, and I am almost half way to my life expectancy. I will die centuries before you would die naturally. If only there was a way to break the bond before I died, or pass it to someone else, or save you some how._

With a growl Avalon got in front of Ralph and blocked his way. Looking into his eyes she said slowly and clearly:_ I could have refused the bond Ralph. I knew that humans don't live long. I knew, that by bonding, I was shortening my life by hundreds of years. You are part of me Ralph. If you died I would not want to live anyway. I love you too much. And if you do find a way to sever or pass the bond I will never approve, and I would hate you if you ever did such a thing. Am I clear._

_I know. It just does not seem fair to you. That you must die so early. Don't you even want a family?_ It was low to say something like that and Ralph knew it. He just did not want her to die just because he was careless or just too old.

_You are my family Ralph. Besides, our lives are all the same length in war._

I understand and you are clear.

Avalon stepped back out of his way, and they continued to walk to the fortress. The grass on either side of the road was lush green and healthy. Some dandelions grew among the green adding to it's color. A forest of green broken by the occasional sunburst yellow.

Ralph appreciated beauty. He liked art of almost all kinds. He had dreamed of being an artist one day, but he could neither paint nor draw. Fate had some twists that he did not like. Instead of being an artist he became a commander in the army, and now he knew the art of war. The art of violence.

They walked into the fortress. The doors had been put up, and they looked nice. The doors were held open by latches on the top of the doors attaching to the wall of the fortress. It was a bad idea Ralph thought, but opening the heavy doors whenever anyone wished to leave or enter was time consuming and inconvenient.

Walking through the fortress in silence was peaceful after the fighting yesterday. There was no sign that there had been dead bodies and blood in the corridors just the day before. "What did you all do with the bodies Avalon?"

"We took the armor and weapons off of them and kept those. The bodies we threw down the disposal chute. While on fire of course. Nasty business disposing of your kind is. They most likely burned to ashes at the bottom of the chute."

Ralph nodded solemnly. He expected as much. Now they were on the stairs to the basement. He did not look forward to greeting Deminrod. He had been under Deminrod's command once when they were quelling the rebellion on Silvestri, and he did not leave a good impression.

Placing his hands on the stones to depress in order to open the hidden door took discipline. He pushed the stones, and the door slid open soundlessly. This inside of the tunnels was pitch black. In the distance he could see a small light though.

Ralph dug around in the pouch he kept at his side and found his flint and steel. He struck the two together above a torch showering it in sparks. The torch lit well and gave off fitful light. He walked along the tunnel's room and lit five more torches, giving the room better lighting.

When Ralph looked back down the tunnel he could just make out the leader of the group. It was Deminrod. With a sigh Ralph stood in the middle of the room awaiting Deminrod's arrival. Avalon stood next to Ralph.

It took about half an hour for Deminrod's men to get to the room. They had walked all the way from Getrindale. That was about fifty miles from Arbsouth. Umbra Sic had been forty miles away, and they ran the whole way. Shows dedication if you asked Ralph.

Devinrod stood at about six foot tall in his armor. He was a bit chunky in the midsection, but he was strong as an ox. He used a battle axe that he could swing like a thin willow rod. He had dark blue eyes and brown hair that he always kept short. His shoulders were wide enough for two men. His head was small, but it was stuffed full of information.

Devinrod stopped in front of Ralph. He made a slight nod to Avalon which she returned, and then he bowed to Ralph. Just a formality and an unnecessary one at that. Ralph returned the bow then clasped Devinrod's hand.

"It is good that you have taken Arbsouth back so soon. Well done. Tell your men that I compliment them."

" You are welcome here commander Devinrod. They will hear your praise. My men are tired and need rest. It would be good if some of yours could join mine on their watches."

"Then my men will join yours. Send your men to their beds. Mine slept on the way here when we received the mirror message that you had taken it."

"They shall receive word of your news." Ralph looked at Avalon and she got up and went to tell the men that their shift would be over soon.

Ralph stepped aside and Devinrod walked by with his men in tow. When the last man had walked by him Ralph followed into the basement and shut the door. By the time he turned around Devinrod's men were almost all going up the stairs. Ralph, in turn, followed up the stairs after Devinrod.

When he got to the top of the stairs and into the main hallway he could see some of the men taking the supplies that they carried. When they had all the carried supplies they went off to the main barracks further back in the fort. Umbra Sic had already stored their things into the smaller housing areas. Now Ralph was going to have to join his troops in that area. Devinrod would take the general's quarters.

Devinrod was already making his way to the main entrance of the fort to start his inspection. Ralph caught up to Devinrod at the fort's gate. Walking together they made the inspection. Avalon joined them about half way through the inspection, but Ralph sent her to see to water purification.

On the wall Devinrod finally spoke. "The locking system on the gate seems out of date. We will have to put an order in for a new one. See that one is put in today Ralph."

Ralph gritted his teeth and responded "Yes sir."

Devinrod was very detailed in his inpection. He looked at the mortar in the walls. He took the flag down from the pole, which stood on the tallest tower, and inspected it's fabric and embroidery. He even went so far as to try pulling the iron working out of the doors with his dagger!

"I will assume command of this fort Ralph. I am in charge now." Said Devinrod. "Nothing of your plan will be altered, for it is a good one." He added grudgingly. "Now if you would go see to that request it would please me greatly."

"Yes sir. Thank you sir." Ralph replied. When a commander, or anyone above your rank, said it would "please them greatly" it was a command, not a request.

Ralph left Devinrod standing on the wall. He could sense Avalon approaching him from behind.

"Off to your task Ralph?"

She knew plenty well what he was up to. The bond made sure of that. "Just sending in a request that should have been filed two years ago." mumbled Ralph. "It's been to damn long since we had a break. We are going to be guarding this fort for another four months. Our last break was scheduled for next week, but it was pushed back. Again. The last break we had was only one day, and that was a year and a half ago."

"Well isn't life just so unfair" teased Avalon. "When you finish with sending your report go see Alton. He is considerably better today. Nerisir moved him to the infirmary now. All the water quota and more has been purified, so don't worry about that.

"Well, you can purify water just by touching it so that is what I expected. I will send the message and look in on Alton then I will get something to eat. What time is it any way. It's getting dark already." Ralph said as here measured the suns descent with his fist.

"It's eight thirty approximately. You two had a long inspection. Nothing big has happened really. Devinrod's men have taken complete control of the guarding and patrolling. Did Devinrod comment on the smoke coming from the trees?"

"No, but he looked at me strange as if I should tell him what it was. I did not say anything about it. I will get a group to go tonight with Devinrod's approval."/p

"I will go so you can get an instant report from the field. I know some others that would like to go. Want me to set up the group? I will find John and get an approval document from him if you give the approval."

"That would be good Avalon. You may do that. After I visit Alton I will acquire the permission needed. Go see to your own diner before you go, and get the band you mean to take together. Report it to me first, and I will appoint the leader."

Avalon left Ralph when they got inside the fort. He went down the left and she went down the right. It took Ralph a while to get into the tunnels and get the man working the mirror to send the request. Requests always took longer than anything else. When that was done Ralph walked all the way back up the stairs and then up another flight of stairs to get to the top floor. The top floor held the infirmary.

When Ralph walked in Devinrod was there. Alton was sitting on one of the beds in the room. The room held about thirty beds for injured persons. A room next to this one held beds for sick persons. Alton looked up at Ralph, and a crestfallen expression came over his face.

Nerisir was there as well of course. She saw him immediatly. "Take off that armor. You need a new bandage."

With a sigh Ralph took his chest armor off and let her wrap a new bandage around his side. Devinrod saw the wound and whistled in sympathy. The wound was yellow, black, blue, purple, and red. It looked like a little rainbow.

"You have some pretty majorly broken ribs son." Devinrod said. "How did you get that? You showed no sign of injury during the inspection."

"I got it from Marrin, one of the prisoners. She was a shield master and blade master. Her shield got me."

"Ouch. How did you take her prisoner? A few nice words didn't work I see. Did you try flowers?"

"I took her sword away and tackled her. _Ouch!_ Be careful Nerisir."

"I need to get the bandage tight enough so that your ribs don't shift in there. That would be bad for you"

Devinrod left at that point saying that he had a little bit more to inspect. Ralph got his permission to send a band to investigate the smoke though.

Alton had kept his head down the whole time, but when Devinrod left he raised it again. "I am sorry that I have caused so much distress. I will do better in the future sir."

"You had better be sorry, boy. I nearly had a heart attack when I heared that you had gone down. Your spear will thank you so much for the extra drilling they will get as well."

"I do not doubt that you were worried. Is everyone else ok? Avalon came to see me earlier and said that you were hurt, but I never expected it to be so bad."

Ralph looked at Alton and decided that he needed some lessons on respect to those of higher rank. He would have to get him entered in a training class again. He will need it when he gets back to fighting condition though.

"Let me worry about everyone else Alton, and as for myself, if you tell anyone you see I am hurt, I will make that little hole in your chest seem like a scratch when I finish with you."

"If you make more work for me on this one I am going to quit!" Chimed in Nerisir from another room.

At that moment Nerisir's Gardevoir glided into the chamber. It looked at Ralph with a stern gaze and then at Alton with a "You know better" gaze. Alton quickly laid back down on his cot. Ralph decided that it was time for him to make his leave. With a bow to the Gardevoir, that made his side hurt like fire, he walked out into the hallway.


	7. Marrin

Outside in the hallway Ralph lightly rubbed his ribs. It did not do much with his armor on. Nerisir had not been gentle when she wrapped him.

_Avalon, do you have the team ready?_

Yes. I recruited spear one. They are all in.

Alright. Aaron is the leader then. Meet me at the fortress' entrance.

We will be right there.

Ralph was already walking there when he told Avalon to meet him there. Fredrick meet him on the way there. "I heard that there is an expedition going out to investigate the smoke we saw earlier. May I accompany the group going out?"

"Spear one is going, and Avalon is going tool. I think that one spear is enough. The flyovers did not detect anything, even with the psychics looking for minds."

"Yes sir." He responded. Fredrick stopped then and turned around to go back to the small housing area that held all of Umbra Sic.

"Fredrick keep walking with me. There is something I would like you to do." Fredrick turned around again and had to do a quick jog to catch up.

"What is your command?

"I want you to go to the warehouse and search for a hidden room. It should be in the floor. If you find the room there will be lots of gold in it and an artifact from the Age of Wars. I want you to bring that to me. It will look like a small box, small enough to fit in your pocket, and it will be either red or blue. Don't take any gold."

"Yes sir. May I ask what this... box... does?

"That is not for you to know at this point. It is necessary to make headway with the prisoners. Now go find it. He already knew where it was. Fredrick was his own ranking. He was put into the band by the government for some reason, and they told Ralph he could be trusted with anything. He did not trust him with everything of course."

"Yes sir. Right away sir." With that he turned off into one of the smaller corridors that would take him to the door faster. Ralph was not concerned with when he got to the gate. In fact it would be best for the men going on the expedition if it was dark. They worked better at night than they did in day light.

When Ralph got to the entrance everyone that was meant to be there was there. Aaron was at the front awaiting orders. They had their Umbrions with them. _Where do the Umbrion and Espion stay?_ wondered Ralph.

_They stay with the band in the small housing area, but during the day they patrol the buildings and fields to keep rats out._ Came Avalon's thoughts. She was there with the group, but that would be too of topic to say aloud.

"Aaron is in charge of this expedition. I trust in his judgment in this mission. I will not be going with you today, but Avalon will be going. Get the information on the area and come back. I want a written report when you get back Aaron."

"Yes sir. I have one question though. What should we do if we find tracks?"

"If you find tracks follow them until you are at risk, then come back here. Good luck."

Spear one turned around and trotted out of the fort and into the night. The Umbrion followed them out. Ralph watched them until they were out of sight down the road.

When the spear was out of sight Ralph gave a sigh and turned around and set off toward the mess hall. Down one hallway and out into the courtyard he went. The courtyard was an open air space in the middle of the fortress that contained two small cherry trees and some flowers. A meandering path lead through the courtyard.

He walked through the courtyard without glancing to either side. It was only scenery, and Avalon was not here. They would lie in the grass sometimes with Ralph leaning against her side and just talk or do hobby things together. Ralph liked to tie and untie knots; Avalon would just bite through the knots he tied if he asked her to untie them. She would do things with the water stored in the Mystic Water charm.

He walked through the courtyard quickly and went through the door closest to the mess hall. The door to the mess hall was directly opposite of the door to the courtyard in the hall he was currently in. He had to wait to get into the mess hall when some men who had been on shift walked in front of him.

When Ralph finally got into the mess hall it was already packed. It was clean now though. He saw one of the Umbrion slip around the corner of one of the serving stations with a small tail hanging out of it's mouth.

Ralph got a tray and cut in line to the front. Rank did have privilege. He was served a generous amount of mashed potatoes, salted roast beef, carrots, and bread. This was a feast Compared to what was normally served. Devinrod must be congratulating the men on a successful mission, even though his did nothing.

Ralph gathered a cup full of water and looked at the seating available. Most of the men and women were Devinrod's people, but there was a small corner that held some of his troops. He went and sat with them. He told them to be at ease and speak freely in his presence. He was a more lenient commander, but when rules were broken he acted fast and harsh.

He talked with his men about inconsequential things, such as what they would do after the war.

Derrick, one of the archers, wanted to be a farmer after the war. He said that he would buy a large plot of land and grow tabac or something else. Grady, Derrick's guard in spear two, wanted to be a shepherd. He used to raise sheep before he joined the military, and he still wanted to do it afterwards. Grady could be a noble with all the wealth he accumulated through investing though. Kimm, a swords woman for spear two, wanted to be a seamstress. She already did lots of clothing repairs for everyone in Umbra Sic, and she was excellent at it.

"What will you do sir?" Came the inevitable question.

"What will I do? I think that I will buy a seaside plot of land on Silvestri and live there with my team and Avalon. Probably travel around Occultra before that though. Maybe something in Insulgen. They have nice islands I hear."

"Where is Avalon? She is always with you. Well, she's almost always with you anyway." Asked Derrick.

"That is for me to know and for you not to know. For now." He replied. "Are any of you married. I know you are Kimm, but what about you Derrick? Are you married.

"No i'm not married. But I have a sweet heart back in Glendale. Her name is Hellen. We have exchanged letters since we left Glendale."

"That's who you've been writing to? I thought you were writing to your parents! They do live in Glendale correct?"

"They don't live in the city exactly but yes; they live in Glendale. I don't write to them much. They did not approve of my choice to join the military. Sometimes they will write to me, but they always ask me to come home and help run the little shop that they have."

"What about you Grady? Are you married?

No sir. I'm not married. I have no one at home either. My whole family died in a fire when I was five. No one was left, and I became an orphan. I was taken to the orphanage, but no one wanted me. I always was the odd one, wanting to join the military and all. I was picked on, so I learned to fight. I grew up, and I joined the military like I said I always would. This group is my family now. I am glad that Alton is still alive and getting better. I checked in on him earlier." He delivered it all in a quiet voice. Most people would think he was insane or ill in some way, but he was not, just a quiet guy that kept to himself.

"That's a sad story man." Said Derrick. It was at least the fourth time he had been told that story, but he said it every time.

"Not really. I can only remember a few glimpses of my parents, not enough to know them well or remember them by. The orphanage was a stepping stone, a temporary staying place. Now I am wealthy, strong, and smart. I rose up in the world and made myself successful through my hard work and smarts."

"That's a good way of looking at it." Chimed in Kimm. She always seemed to be happy and upbeat. "I just want to get home and be with Henlan. It's been a long time since we have seen each other."

"It has been a long time since we had some time off. We should have some coming up in a few days. What is the situation on the off time sir?" Piped in Derrick.

"We won't be off for a while yet. The off time was pushed back again. Four months this time. We are going to be guarding this fort for that time." Replied Ralph

"Damn. They pushed it back again? Things must not be going well on the main fronts." Said Grady.

"Things are still in a stalemate as always, except on the Blackwater front. We gained about three miles of land in a recent battle. We are still going no where on the Pestribus front. It's take and retake on each side. Although I think we put a stop to their advances with the capture of this device. Now I need to go. I will see you in the morning.

Ralph stood from the table and exited the mess hall. The hallway was busy with people coming and going. He went out through the courtyard again, and he went right through it again. He went through the fortress' gate and went to the warehouse. Fredrick was there with the box just getting it dusted off.

"That took a while." Said Ralph.

"Well, some of the extra doors were set on it, and I had to shift them. That took me a while. Then this" holding up the box, "was buried under some old relics."

"At least you have it now. Let me have it."

Without a question Fredrick handed the box over to Ralph. Ralph inspected the box carefully to make sure nothing was wrong with it. He knew it's capabilities. This was an item that could and had broken men as hard as iron and as strong as steel.

Ralph thanked Fredrick and told him to go report to his bed. Ralph walked back to the fortress with the box tucked under his arm. Some men looked at him strangely, but he ignored them. He continued all the way to the jail house carved into the rock of the mountain.

The jail house had forty cells for prisoners. There was also one mass holding cell that could hold another fifty prisoners. That would be pushing the holding limit to the maximum, but it could be done. The prisoners from the Arbsouth raid were held in individual cells.

After checking in with the guard he went to the farthest cell on the left. The one that held the woman, Marrin, was the one he stopped in front of. A table was brought to the hallway with a stool. Ralph put the small box on the table and sat in the stool. He steepled his fingers and looked into the cell.

_Do you need any help with questioning her?_ Came Thorn's voice.

_You may not be needed but you are welcome to come. It would be best if you came actually._

_I will be there soon._

Marrin peered back out of the cell with water blue eyes. She had honey gold hair tied in braid and a small nose. Her ears were perfectly proportioned to her head. Her skin was fine, but she was as strong as a bull.

"Do you know what this is?" said Ralph.

Marrin said nothing, but her face paled visibly. She glanced at the box and then back at Ralph. She spit at him through the bars.

"This is what we call a _Ganshiin_. It is a device from the Age of Wars; it was used to obtain confessions and answers to questions. None have ever resisted it's effects. If you do not answer my questions in a satisfactory way, this will be used."

"Do you really think that I will tell you anything useful? We have not had contact with Litronalia for over two and a half months. Our last order was to capture as many fortresses as we could and await reinforcements. As you should already know we abandoned three other fortresses because reinforcements never came. That is all I know."

"That is not much for a general. I found a report in your quarters asking for reinforcements, and a casualty list was there as well. You have lost three quarters of your force. Now there are even less of you. Tell me what I want to know."

"I already told you what I know"

"I think that you are holding out on something. What is it?" While Ralph talked thorn joined them with a stool of his own floating behind him. He set the stool up across form Ralph and sat in it with an air of finality.

"I hold nothing back. I just told you all I know."

"Ok then, what is the circular object in the middle of the road used for?"

She went quiet then and said nothing, just looked at Ralph. She looked at Thorn too, but she mostly watched Ralph.

"What is the device?" Asked Ralph. _Look into her mind Thorn_ He added to Thorn. They were in constant communication now.

Marrin twitched, but other than that she did nothing to indicate that Thorn was trying to probe her thoughts. Thorns eyes started to glow a light red color, and the Marrin's eyes became unfocussed. Then Thorn's eyes became a bright deep red. Marrin's face contorted and she let out a growl.

Ralph put a hand on Thorn's shoulder. The glow from his eyes left immediately, and Marrin's eyes refocused after a little bit.

_She is strong Ralph. Very strong indeed. Is Nerisir's Gardevoir open right now? I think that if we combined our strength we could break her._

_Not yet. Let's see if setting up the box will make her say anything. It would only be a matter of time before she told us her whole life story if we used it._

Thorn acknowledged him and sat still. Ralph looked at Marrin one more time before he turned to the box. The box was a pale white color and had some symbols etched into the side. Other than that there appeared to be nothing else to it. Ralph placed his right hand over some of the symbols and the other on the top of the box. The symbols gave a soft glow from under his hand for a millisecond and a small crack appeared on the sides of the box.

Ralph lifted his hand and the top of the box came with it. It clung to his hand as if it was nailed there. When the bottom of the box lid hit the table, however, it came off. Peering inside the box Ralph could see what was in it, and he was revolted.

A small contraption sat in the center of the box. Only about two inches long and as thin as a hair it was a terrible device. A small cut would be made in a prisoners arm near a vein and the device would be placed in the cut. The thing would come alive and burrow into the prisoner's veins. From there no one knew what it did, but the effects were obvious in how eager the prisoners would deliver information, even if it was almost incoherent through the screams.

Ralph took the thing out of the box and laid it on a piece of cloth that was also in the box. "I will ask you again. What is the purpose of the circular device in the road?"

"It will not work anymore. It has no purpose."

"What did it do before it did not work?"

Marrin visibly struggled with herself before she made her response. "It did nothing"

"Then why did you carry it around."

"Because the scholars thought that it would do something."

"And did it?"

"No"

"I don't believe you. What did it do?" asked Ralph in a deathly calm voice. He was not a trained interrogator. No one in Umbra Sic was, but with the _Ganshiin_ you did not have to be.

"It is useless." she persisted.

_Tell Gardevoir to come here right away._

_She is on her way now. She will be here soon._

"You are a general and that means that you know what it is and what it does. What does it do?"

"It does nothing useful to you."

"So it does do something. All I want to know is what it does. That's not very difficult now is it?"

"It splits things that are in the circle in two." She said.

"That is very useful. We could split trees for firewood much easier that way. But it does not add up. It must do something else. What is it that it does that gives a military advantage?"

Gardevoir flowed in then with her own chair floating beside her. Setting the chair down she sat in it just as Thorn had. Thorn and the Gardevoir were talking telepathically but Ralph did not understand the language that they used between each other. Finally thorn and the Gardevoir turned to Marrin and started their probing.

Marrin was a mask of concentration and pain. She growled and thrashed and twitched.

Finally Thorn and Gardevoir stopped their probing. They had gleaned some information but not much. Not nearly enough information to make a conclusion. All that they had wrestled from her were some images of being in one place and then walking into the middle a fortress.

The images were not very helpful, but they were better than nothing. Some things could be deduced from them. The implications of them were interesting. If what he thought they meant was true it could be a huge asset. If only... words that Ralph hated.


End file.
